Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench (January 11, 1849 – October 18, 1916) was a Spanish painter from

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. He was one of the most prominent

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painters from late nineteenth century Spain.

Biography

Born into a poor family in

, Pinazo was forced from a young age to assist in supporting the family by practising various trades. He had only attended eight grades when his mother died of the

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

, and young Ignazio was variously employed as a

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

, a painter of tiles, and a decorator of fans. After his father's death, he lived with his grandparents, and in 1864 enrolled in the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts, Valencia, earning his living as a

hatter Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners made and sold a range of accessories for clothing and hairstyles. ...

. His artistic career started when he was 21, and he achieved his first success in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

three years later. In 1871, work by him was displayed in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts for the first time. In 1873 the sale of a painting provided sufficient funds for him to visit Rome for the first time. When he returned to his native city in 1874, he abandoned the conventional historic themes he had so far devoted his efforts to, and instead started painting family subjects, nude figures, and scenes from daily life, thereby anticipating Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida and Francisco Domingo both in subject and style. This is the beginning of a more intimate,

style. He returned to Rome in 1876, having obtained a grant from the Diputación de València, this time staying for five years. In 1884, due to a

epidemic in Valencia, Pinazo temporarily moved to the town of

Bétera Bétera () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' of Camp de Túria in the Valencia (autonomous community), Valencian Community, Spain. With 23,647 inhabitants, it is the second most pop ...

, where he stayed in the villa "Maria" of the banker Jose Jaumandreu. From 1884 to 1886 he taught at the School of Valencia. He received many commissions from the Valencian aristocracy, among them the Marchioness of

Benicarló Benicarló () is a city and municipality in the north of the province of Castelló, part of the Valencian Community, in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain, between the cities of Vinaròs and Peníscola, not too far south from the Ebre River. To ...

. The annual art exhibitions brought Pinazo silver medals in 1881 and 1885, and gold medals in 1887 and 1899. He also received a royal medal and in 1912 a street in Valencia was named after him. He was married to Teresa Martinez Montfort. They had two sons, Ignacio and Jose, both of whom became painters themselves. He died in

Godella Godella is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord, province of Valencia, Spain. Godella was founded in 1238 by the cession of James I of Aragon of a region named ''Godayla'' to the Aragonese Pedro Maza. Although part of the municipal a ...

, aged 67.

Work

Ignazio Pinazo worked with dark colours: black, brown and other earth-like shades, as well as in the scintillating palette typical of Impressionism. His work often shows rapid brush strokes. Paintings include: * ''Las hijas del Cid'' (1879) * ''Los últimos momentos del rey Don Jaime el Conquistador en el acto de entregar su espada a su hijo Don Pedro'' * ''El guardavía'' (1877) * ''Barca en la playa'' (1890). Part of his work can be seen in the ''Basilica de la asunción'' in the town of Cieza, and in the

Museu de Belles Arts de València The (; ; English: "Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia") is an art gallery in Valencia, Spain, founded in 1913. It houses some 2,000 works, most dating from the 14th–17th centuries, including a ''Self portrait of Diego Velázquez'', a ''St. John th ...

(Valencia Museum of Fine Arts). The largest collection of this painter's work is held at the

Institut Valencià d'Art Modern The Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (; ; English: "Valencian Institute of Modern Art"), also known by the acronym IVAM, was the first center of modern art in Spain, opening in 1989 in the city of Valencia. The Institut Valencià d'Art Modern is a ...

(Valencia Institute of Modern Art), with over one hundred paintings and six hundred drawings, although unfortunately these are not on permanent display. A selection of his work may also be viewed at the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

in Madrid.

Selected paintings

Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench El guardavía.jpg, ''The Lineman'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench Figura femenina sentada.jpg, ''Seated Feminine Figure'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench Retrato de Doña Teresa Martínez.jpg, ''Portrait of Doña Teresa Martínez'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench El invierno, Retrato de D. Manuel Comas.jpg, ''Portrait of Don Manuel Comas'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench Emparrado.jpg, ''The Arbor'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench Mi calle Godella.jpg, ''My Street in Godella'' Image:Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench La cruz del Molino en Godella.jpg, ''The Cross at the Mill in Godella'' File:Las hijas del Cid (Ignacio Pinazo).jpg, ''The Daughters of El Cid'' Anochecer en la escollera III.tif, '' Anochecer en la escollera III''

Sources

Artehistoria: Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench

Ignacio Pinazo, El Precursor de la Pintura Moderna, Javier Pérez Rojas, Universitat de València

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinazo Camarlench, Ignacio 19th-century Spanish painters 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Spanish Impressionist painters Painters from the Valencian Community Spanish silversmiths Spanish milliners 1849 births 1916 deaths